The Internet Archive Software Collection

The Internet Archive Software Collection is the largest vintage and historical software library in the world, providing instant access to millions of programs, CD-ROM images, documentation and multimedia.

The collection includes a broad range of software related materials including shareware, freeware, video news releases about software titles, speed runs of actual software game play, previews and promos for software games, high-score and skill replays of various game genres, and the art of filmmaking with real-time computer game engines.

Some highlighted collections:

The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a retrocomputing initiative dedicated to the cataloging and preservation of software, firmware and resources for microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit various kinds of software and firmware images for these systems. TOSEC catalogs over 200 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. The project has identified and cataloged over 450,000 different software images/sets, consisting of over 3.60TB of software, firmware and resources. The goal of the TOSEC project is to maintain a database of all software and firmware images for all microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. In addition to this, the project also catalogs other computing and gaming resources such as software and hardware manuals, magazine scans and computing catalogs.

The CD Archive collects thousands of Shareware and Cover CD-ROMs from the heyday of the CD-ROM (late 1980s to mid 2000s) and provides ISO images as well as links inside these collections of software. With over 2,500 discs now hosted, the archive allows access to a wide range of historical collections, including curations by defunct groups like Walnut Creek and Linux/Unix distributions of the past. Other CD-ROMs include images and digitized music, documentation sets and game modifications. Most of these CD-ROMs can be downloaded as .ISO or .CDR files, as well as browsed online through the Internet Archive's file listing interface.

The DEMU collection is a curated collection hosting over 4,000 classic PC-based games from a quarter century. The collection contains shareware, freeware, and demo programs, all DOS or Windows-based.

The FTP Site Boneyard is a collection of various FTP sites from around the internet, gathering what were once the dominant form of file transfer online but which have fallen to the wayside in favor of other update servers and cloud-based storage. From the mid 1980s to the late 2000s, FTP sites would gather various needed patches, programs, utilities or information and make it available in a quick, seamless fashion. This boneyard contains many prominent FTP sites of the past, including MPOLI.FI and its ancient machine drivers, ftp.netscape.com and ftp.lotus.com. In all, many gigabytes of historical files are located here.

Many times, contributions and collections come in the form of a disk drive, or the output from a single hard drive's contents. Instead of delaying these items until they can be curated, the Disk Drives collection provides access to these large file repositories. In most cases, these collections can be browsed online, allowing access to all manner of user-created software writing dating from the 1980s-1990s period.

Built from the cache of an ISP that stopped providing a mirror after many years, the Linux Distributions collection contains many Linux and other Free OS distributions going back to the dawn of open-source operating systems. The collection primarily contains ISOs of the original CD and DVD-ROMs.

Many other groups are working hard to save and provide easier access to vintage software. Besides preserving the data off the original medium, these groups also classify, curate, and describe the software for historical context. In some cases, additional programs are provided to analyze the works and allow modern computers to access the material. The vintage software contains the many different efforts put out by these groups.

Be sure to browse the Software Sites collection, which gathers a number of now-dormant mirrors and collections to allow continued access to the older materials. Among the highlights are a 2004 TUCOWS mirror, a 2012 GITHUB gathering of deleted files, and others.

Finally, do not miss the Open Source Software Collection, which is the default contribution space for the users of the Internet Archive to keep copies of software available to all. Tens of thousands of programs, distributions and provisions are located here.

The Software Collection primarily provides the actual binary data for programs, as well as the original storage archives for files. If you are looking for manuals, books, or printed information, there are a number of other collections at the archive, including sections for manuals, computer magazines, computer newsletters and computer books.

Please contact Jason Scott, software curator at the Internet Archive, with questions, suggestions or possible donations to the collection.

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The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s through to the 1990s, emulated in JSMAME, part of the JSMESS software package. Containing hundreds of games ranging through many different genres and styles, the Arcade provides research, comparison, and entertainment in the realm of the Video Game Arcade. The game collection ranges from early "bronze-age" videogames, with black and white screens and simple sounds, through to large-scale...

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The Open Source Software Collection includes computer programs and/or data which are licensed under an Open Source Initiative or Free Software license, or is public domain . In general, items in this collection should be software for which the source code is freely available and able to be used and distributed without undue restrictions, and/or computer data which conforms to an openly published format. Topics: software, public domain, open source, opensource, oss, free software, gpl, gnu, public domain...

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MS-DOS (/ˌɛmɛsˈdɒs/ em-es-doss; short for Microsoft Disk Operating System) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid-1990s. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY ISSUES WITH RUNNING THESE PROGRAMS, PLEASE READ THE FAQ. Thanks to eXo for contributions and assistance with this...

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Kodi (formerly XBMC) is a free and open-source media player software application developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium. Kodi is available for multiple operating systems and hardware platforms, with a software 10-foot user interface for use with televisions and remote controls. It allows users to play and view most streaming media, such as videos, music, podcasts, and videos from the Internet, as well as all common digital media files from local and network storage...

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The Internet Archive Console Living Room harkens back to the revolution of the change in the hearth of the home, when the fireplace and later television were transformed by gaming consoles into a center of videogame entertainment. Connected via strange adapters and relying on the television's speaker to put out beeps and boops, these games were resplendent with simple graphics and simpler rules. The home console market is credited with slowly shifting attention from the arcade craze of the...

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Software for MS-DOS machines that represent entertainment and games. The collection includes action, strategy, adventure and other unique genres of game and entertainment software. Through the use of the EM-DOSBOX in-browser emulator, these programs are bootable and playable. Please be aware this browser-based emulation is still in beta - contact Jason Scott , Software Curator, if there are issues or questions. Thanks to eXo for contributions and assistance with this archive. Thank you for your...

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One of the most historically important artifacts to come from the home computer telecommunications revolution was shareware CDs, compact discs put out by companies containing hundreds of megabytes of shareware. Initially containing less than the full capacity of the discs (600mb, later 700mb) these items eventually began brimming with any sort of computer data that could be packaged and sold. As material "ran out", that is, as sellers of these CDs found they were unable to easily find...

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This collection contains selected historically important software packages from the Internet Archive's software archives. Through the use of in-browser emulators, it is possible to try out these items and experiment with using them, without the additional burdens of installing emulator software or tracking down the programs. Many of these software products were the first of their kind, or utilized features and approaches that have been copied or recreated on many programs since. (historic... Topic: historic software, software, vintage software, antique software

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This is a wide and variant collection of CD-ROM based software, that is, software that came on a CD-ROM for installation on computers, or played in consoles. Ranging from applications and games to gatherings of public-domain software or clip art, the heyday of the CD-ROM is roughly 1989 to 2001. In all cases, the capacity of the CD-ROM stayed steady at 640-700mb a side, although some used tricks to claim they had more (due to compression, or adding up both sides of two-sided CD-ROMs). Most are...

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This item contains the driving engines behind "The Emularity", a collection of emulators optimized for browser viewing, including javascript/webassembly version of MAME, DOSBOX, SCRIPTED AMIGA EMULATOR, and PCE. Click on the "SHOW ALL" link to view the full collection of support files. All *.js.gz files are javascript modules executed in the browser. All .json files are configurations of the operation of the emulator.

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The Vintage Software collection gathers various efforts by groups to classify, preserve, and provide historical software. These older programs, many of them running on defunct and rare hardware, are provided for purposes of study, education, and historical reference.

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The goal is to provide a ubiquitous, flexible, comprehensive-as-possible emulator that will appear in as many browsers as possible without installing a plugin or runtime. While a number of emulation solutions exist that allow much of what is wanted, they nearly all require plugins and most are directed towards a single machine or small sets of machines. Currently, the most flexible runtime is current versions of Javascript, a horribly named runtime that utilizes a Turing-complete programming...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a retrocomputing initiative dedicated to the cataloging and preservation of software, firmware and resources for microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit various kinds of software and firmware images for these systems. As of release 2012-09-15, TOSEC catalogs over 200 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. As of this time the project had identified and cataloged 466,396...

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Take a step back in time and revisit your favorite DOS and Windows games. The files available in this collection consist primarily of PC demos, freeware, and shareware. These files are the original releases which will require intermediate to advanced knowledge to install and run on modern operating systems. If you would rather simply try some classic MS-DOS games inside your browser you may wish to try the online MS-DOS Software Library . New games are added to this collection on a weekly... Topics: PC Games, Vintage computer games, Windows games, DOS games

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Software Sites are collections of software available on websites over the last few decades that were mirrored at the Archive and then left in a dormant state. While the data on them is still valid, it is likely that many of the still-maintained files will have much more prominent versions, which will have bugfixes and other important updates.

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The Tucows Sofware Library is the largest freeware/shareware library on the Internet. It provides users with over 40,000 software titles that have been "tested, rated and reviewed" by Tucows inc. This archive includes the latest versions of Tucows software, as well as older versions not available through Tucows and its mirrors. Topic: Software

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One of the most historically important artifacts to come from the home computer telecommunications revolution was shareware CDs, compact discs put out by companies containing hundreds of megabytes of shareware. Initially containing less than the full capacity of the discs (600mb, later 700mb) these items eventually began brimming with any sort of computer data that could be packaged and sold. As material "ran out", that is, as sellers of these CDs found they were unable to easily find... Topics: Mark Fugitt, Mike Laybourn, sysop, RBBS software

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Developed by MECC Released 1990 Also For Apple II, Macintosh, Windows, Windows 3.x Published by MECC Pacing Real-Time Genre Educational, Simulation Setting Western Gameplay Managerial / Business Simulation Educational Geography, History Perspective Bird's-eye view, Side view, Text-based / Spreadsheet, Top-down Visual Fixed / Flip-screen Interface Text Parser Description As a covered wagon party of pioneers, you head out west from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette River and valley in...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 288 reviews )

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The ZX Spectrum (pronounced /ˈzɛdˌɛks/ "Zed-Ex") is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. The machine was launched as the ZX Spectrum by Sinclair to highlight the machine's colour display, compared with the black-and-white of its predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was ultimately released as eight different models; together they sold in excess of 5 million units worldwide (not counting numerous clones). The Spectrum was...

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The goal is to provide a ubiquitous, flexible, comprehensive-as-possible emulator that will appear in as many browsers as possible without installing a plugin or runtime. While a number of emulation solutions exist that allow much of what is wanted, they nearly all require plugins and most are directed towards a single machine or small sets of machines. Currently, the most flexible runtime is current versions of Javascript, a horribly named runtime that utilizes a Turing-complete programming...

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******************************* The Old School Emulation Center 28/12/2012 Hello, and welcome to a brand new TOSEC release! Just a quick one before the end of the year, LOTS of new Commodore images added. Many thanks to the tireless efforts of Crashdisk, mai, Duncan Twain and new helpers AntiPontifex and IguanaC64. On the ISO side, I'm happy to report the NTSC-US Games DAT is now 100% complete and verified, due to the above and beyond efforts of Maddog, atreyu187 and all the boys at Dumpcast....

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"Doom WAD is the default format of package files for the video game Doom or its sequel Doom II, that contain sprites, levels, and game data. WAD stands for "Where's All the Data?" Immediately after its release in 1993, Doom attracted a sizeable following of players who created their own mods for WAD files—packages containing levels, graphics and other game data—and played a vital part in spawning the mod-making culture which is now commonplace for first-person shooters....

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Games and entertainment software for the ZX Spectrum. The Internet Archive Software Library is a large collection of viewable and executable software titles, ranging from commercially released products to public domain and hobbyist programs. Using the JSMESS emulator, users can "boot up" an emulation of the given title and use it in their browser. More titles are added frequently, and users are encouraged to donate newly found floppy disk images and programs.

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The Apple II series (trademarked with square brackets as "Apple ][" and rendered on later models as "Apple //") is a set of home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II. In terms of ease of use, features and expandability the Apple II was a major technological advancement over its predecessor, the...

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The goal is to provide a ubiquitous, flexible, comprehensive-as-possible emulator that will appear in as many browsers as possible without installing a plugin or runtime. While a number of emulation solutions exist that allow much of what is wanted, they nearly all require plugins and most are directed towards a single machine or small sets of machines. Currently, the most flexible runtime is current versions of Javascript, a horribly named runtime that utilizes a Turing-complete programming...

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The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console, which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered near-arcade-quality graphics and gaming style along with the means to expand the system's basic hardware. Released with a catalog of 12 launch titles, with an additional 10 games announced for 1982, approximately 145 titles in total were published as ROM cartridges for the system between 1982 and 1984. Coleco licensed Nintendo's Donkey Kong as the...

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MAME (an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten. The aim of MAME is to be a reference to the inner workings of the emulated arcade machines; the ability to actually play the games is considered "a nice side effect". The first public...

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Windows 3.1x (codenamed Janus) is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during April 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were released between 1992 and 1994 until the series was superseded by Windows 95. During its lifespan, Windows 3.1 introduced several enhancements to the still MS-DOS-based platform, including improved system stability, expanded support for...

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As older software falls out of accessibility, various groups and individuals have created large compilations of wide ranges of titles and works, resulting in often-very-large compilations that are then accessible in bulk. Some are well-maintained catalogs while others are simply mega-size archive files. This collection compiles the compilations into one place.

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Originally released in June 1984, the Atari 7800 was the successor to Atari's 5200. A victim of unfortunate timing, the 7800 was released shortly before the great video game crash of 1983. Re-launched by Atari in 1986 as a competitor to the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System, the Atari 7800 was backwards compatible with original Atari 2600 titles. In 2009, IGN chose the 7800 to be their 17th best video game console of all time. They justified this relatively low ranking... Topics: Atari 7800, Console, Atari, 7800

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From Atari Age , by Mitchell Orman: If you were looking for an official Atari manual then I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed. Atari never released the 7800 service manual that would have included the information about the Diagnostic Test Cartridge. With this page I am going to try and document some of the things that I have discovered about it. The main purpose of the Diagnostic Cartridge would seem to be the adjustment of the 7800 specific color pot. The other color pot and sundry...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The goal is to provide a ubiquitous, flexible, comprehensive-as-possible emulator that will appear in as many browsers as possible without installing a plugin or runtime. While a number of emulation solutions exist that allow much of what is wanted, they nearly all require plugins and most are directed towards a single machine or small sets of machines. Currently, the most flexible runtime is current versions of Javascript, a horribly named runtime that utilizes a Turing-complete programming...

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In the early years of home computer ownership, magazines and newsletters might come bundled with a floppy disk to make it easier to load up programs discussed within their pages. These attached floppies (and cassettes as well) might have one or two programs on them. After the dawn of CD-ROMs, packed-in CD-ROMs (and later DVD-ROMs) expanded out into lauded utilities and games, and also included drivers, demos, promotional material (including game trailers), and ultimately could be entire... Topics: software, magazines, cd-rom, dvd-rom, dvd, cd

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The Linux Distribution Archive is a growing collection of media for the installation of Linux on various systems from the past 20 years. Since its formation in the early 1990s, the open source nature of Linux has ensured great variation in the release of distributions, including variations on floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and online-only.

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This collection contains Android apps and metadata. The Android apps and metadata have been collected based on research and open-source tools that were created at Columbia University as part of the PlayDrone project. 13 daily snapshots of apps from Google Play are provided, from 2014-10-19 to 2014-10-31, each day comprising metadata for over a million apps and binaries for all available free apps present in the market for a given day. For each day, a file...

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The Commodore 64, also known as the C64 or the CBM 64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, January 7–10, 1982). It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 10 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595 (equivalent to...

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Akalabeth: World of Doom /əˈkæləbɛθ/ is a role-playing video game that had a limited release in 1979 and was then published by California Pacific Computer Company for the Apple II in 1980. Richard Garriott designed the game as a hobbyist project, which is now recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a role-playing video game and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Garriott's career. The game was made by then-teenaged Garriott in the BASIC programming...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews )

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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (also referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 adventure video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600 video game console. It is based on the film of the same name, and was designed by Howard Scott Warshaw. The objective of the game is to guide the eponymous character through various screens to collect three pieces of an interplanetary telephone that will allow him to contact his home planet. Warshaw intended the game to be an innovative adaptation...favoritefavorite ( 3 reviews ) Topics: Atari 2600, E.T., Howard Scott Warshaw, Atari

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The Hobbit is an illustrated text adventure computer game released in 1982 and based on the book The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was developed at Beam Software by Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler and published by Melbourne House for most home computers available at the time, from more popular models such as the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC 464, BBC Micro, MSX, Dragon 32 and Oric. By arrangement with the book publishers, a copy of the book was included with each game sold....

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A collection of historical software for Apple II computers from the 1980s and early 1990s. Each item was originally copy protected (i.e. the original floppy disk could not be copied to another floppy disk), but the copy protection has been removed and documented. Most items also include a "work disk" comprising the intermediate files created during the deprotection. To send feedback, ask questions, or get notified of new releases, follow @a2_4am on Twitter.

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Colossal Cave Adventure (also known as ADVENT, Colossal Cave, or Adventure)gave its name to the computer adventure game genre. It was originally designed by Will Crowther, a programmer and caving enthusiast who based the layout on part of the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky. The version that is best known today was the result of a collaboration with Don Woods, a graduate student who discovered the game on a computer at Stanford University and made significant expansions and improvements, with...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 6 reviews ) Topics: DOS, Microsoft Adventure, Microsoft, Adventure

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Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best-selling game made for the Atari 2600 (after Pac-Man), with over 4 million copies sold. The player must maneuver a character (Pitfall Harry) through a maze-like jungle in an attempt to recover 32 treasures in a 20-minute time period. Along the way, he must negotiate numerous hazards, including pits, quicksand, rolling logs, fire, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles. Harry may jump over or...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews ) Topics: Activision, David Crane, Pitfall

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Karateka is a 1984 beat'em up video game by Jordan Mechner, and was his first game created while attending Yale University. It was originally programmed for the Apple II, and was later ported to several other home computers and early gaming consoles. The game was published in North America by Brøderbund, and in Europe by Ariolasoft. The player controls an unnamed protagonist who is attempting to rescue his love interest, the Princess Mariko, from Akuma's castle fortress. The game exhibits a...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 5 reviews )

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In 1982, Atari Inc. released a port of Namco's hit arcade game Pac-Man for its Atari 2600 video game console. Like the original arcade version, the player controls the titular character with a joystick. The object is to traverse a maze, consuming all the wafers within while avoiding four ghosts. The game was programmed by Tod Frye, who was given a limited time frame by Atari to complete the project. The technical differences between the Atari 2600 console and the original's arcade...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topics: Atari, Pac-Man, Tod Frye, Atari 2600

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Munchkin is cartridge number 38 in the official Magnavox/Philips line of games for the Philips Videopac. In North America for the Odyssey² it was called K.C. Munchkin!, an inside reference to then president of Philips Consumer Electronics Kenneth C. Menkin. Designed and programmed by Ed Averett, Munchkin is very heavily based on Namco's 1980 arcade game Pac-Man, but not a direct clone. It was however, similar enough for Atari to sue Philips and force them to cease production of Munchkin. Atari...favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topics: K.C. Munchkin, Odyssey 2, Look and Feel, Pac-Man

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Created as a demonstration program for the Atari 400 and 800, the "Dealer Demo" represents one of the forerunners of what would eventually become the "Demoscene", a decades-long culture to demonstrate programming skill and machine ability. This dealer demo is semi-autonomous, looping throughout demonstrations of sound and video capabilities of the Atari 8-Bit machines while touting their flexibility and use. It is possible to enter your name and interact with the machine,...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topics: Atari 800, Dealer Demo, Atari

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VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet computer program, originally released for the Apple II. It is often considered the application that turned the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool. VisiCalc sold over 700,000 copies in six years. Conceived by Dan Bricklin, refined by Bob Frankston, developed by their company Software Arts, and distributed by Personal Software in 1979 (later named VisiCorp) for the Apple II computer, it propelled the Apple from being...favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topics: Visicalc, Spreadsheet, Apple II, Dan Bricklin

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The Sega Genesis, known as Mega Drive (Japanese: メガドライブ Hepburn: Mega Doraibu?) in most regions outside North America, is a 16-bit video game console which was developed and sold by Sega Enterprises, Ltd. The Genesis is Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega first released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by a North American debut under the Genesis moniker in 1989. In 1990, the console was released as the Mega Drive by Virgin...

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Elite is a seminal space trading video game, originally published by Acornsoft in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers. The game's title derives from one of the player's goals of raising their combat rating to the exalted heights of "Elite". It was written and developed by David Braben and Ian Bell, who had met while they were both undergraduates at Jesus College, Cambridge. Non-Acorn versions of the game were published by Firebird, Imagineer and Hybrid Technology....favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews )

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The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 and manufactured until 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU running at 1.79 MHz, roughly twice that of similar designs, and were the first home computers designed with custom co-processor chips. This architecture allowed the Atari designs to offer graphics and sound capabilities that were more advanced than contemporary machines. Overall, the Atari 8-bit computer line was a commercial...

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Lemonade Stand is a basic economics game created in 1973 by Bob Jamison of the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. Charlie Kellner ported the game to the Apple II platform in February 1979. Throughout the 1980s Apple Computer included Lemonade Stand (along with other software) with the purchase of their systems. Like most games created for microcomputers in the 1970s, the gameplay is simple. It simulates a child's lemonade stand, where choices made by the player regarding prices,...favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews ) Topics: Lemonade Stand, Apple II, Economics

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A&F Software's Chuckie Egg is a home computer video game released in 1983, initially for the ZX Spectrum, the BBC Micro and the Dragon. Its subsequent popularity saw it released over the following years on a wide variety of computers, including the Commodore 64, Acorn Electron, MSX, Tatung Einstein, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit family. It was later updated and released for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, and IBM PC compatibles. The original idea is generally attributed to the then 16 or 17...

The Internet Archive Software Collection is the largest vintage and historical software library in the world, providing instant access to millions of programs, CD-ROM images, documentation and multimedia.

The collection includes a broad range of software related materials including shareware, freeware, video news releases about software titles, speed runs of actual software game play, previews and promos for software games, high-score and skill replays of various game genres, and the art of filmmaking with real-time computer game engines.

Some highlighted collections:

The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a retrocomputing initiative dedicated to the cataloging and preservation of software, firmware and resources for microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. The main goal of the project is to catalog and audit various kinds of software and firmware images for these systems. TOSEC catalogs over 200 unique computing platforms and continues to grow. The project has identified and cataloged over 450,000 different software images/sets, consisting of over 3.60TB of software, firmware and resources. The goal of the TOSEC project is to maintain a database of all software and firmware images for all microcomputers, minicomputers and video game consoles. In addition to this, the project also catalogs other computing and gaming resources such as software and hardware manuals, magazine scans and computing catalogs.

The CD Archive collects thousands of Shareware and Cover CD-ROMs from the heyday of the CD-ROM (late 1980s to mid 2000s) and provides ISO images as well as links inside these collections of software. With over 2,500 discs now hosted, the archive allows access to a wide range of historical collections, including curations by defunct groups like Walnut Creek and Linux/Unix distributions of the past. Other CD-ROMs include images and digitized music, documentation sets and game modifications. Most of these CD-ROMs can be downloaded as .ISO or .CDR files, as well as browsed online through the Internet Archive's file listing interface.

The DEMU collection is a curated collection hosting over 4,000 classic PC-based games from a quarter century. The collection contains shareware, freeware, and demo programs, all DOS or Windows-based.

The FTP Site Boneyard is a collection of various FTP sites from around the internet, gathering what were once the dominant form of file transfer online but which have fallen to the wayside in favor of other update servers and cloud-based storage. From the mid 1980s to the late 2000s, FTP sites would gather various needed patches, programs, utilities or information and make it available in a quick, seamless fashion. This boneyard contains many prominent FTP sites of the past, including MPOLI.FI and its ancient machine drivers, ftp.netscape.com and ftp.lotus.com. In all, many gigabytes of historical files are located here.

Many times, contributions and collections come in the form of a disk drive, or the output from a single hard drive's contents. Instead of delaying these items until they can be curated, the Disk Drives collection provides access to these large file repositories. In most cases, these collections can be browsed online, allowing access to all manner of user-created software writing dating from the 1980s-1990s period.

Built from the cache of an ISP that stopped providing a mirror after many years, the Linux Distributions collection contains many Linux and other Free OS distributions going back to the dawn of open-source operating systems. The collection primarily contains ISOs of the original CD and DVD-ROMs.

Many other groups are working hard to save and provide easier access to vintage software. Besides preserving the data off the original medium, these groups also classify, curate, and describe the software for historical context. In some cases, additional programs are provided to analyze the works and allow modern computers to access the material. The vintage software contains the many different efforts put out by these groups.

Be sure to browse the Software Sites collection, which gathers a number of now-dormant mirrors and collections to allow continued access to the older materials. Among the highlights are a 2004 TUCOWS mirror, a 2012 GITHUB gathering of deleted files, and others.

Finally, do not miss the Open Source Software Collection, which is the default contribution space for the users of the Internet Archive to keep copies of software available to all. Tens of thousands of programs, distributions and provisions are located here.

The Software Collection primarily provides the actual binary data for programs, as well as the original storage archives for files. If you are looking for manuals, books, or printed information, there are a number of other collections at the archive, including sections for manuals, computer magazines, computer newsletters and computer books.

Please contact Jason Scott, software curator at the Internet Archive, with questions, suggestions or possible donations to the collection.